BOTH SIDES NOW V : QUEER

D.D.A – Contemporary Art presents Both Sides Now V : QUEER, a screening program curated by Videoclub (UK)and Videotage (Hong Kong) will be run the 28th of june to Videodrome 2, Marseille at 19 pm with a presentation of Angel Leung (from Videotage Hong Kong).

Both Sides Now V isthe 5th edition of a long-term collaboration between Videoclub (UK) and Videotage (HongKong) andis having a series of exciting programs under the theme QUEER in Europe and Asia.

Curatorial statement

Both Sides Now V looks at the way in which artist filmmakers are exploring Queer culture, using various film and video techniques, to explore aspects of Queer life in Hong Kong and the UK.

British colonialism widely affected legal discrimination against LGBT people – specifically homosexual men (just as in Britain, female homosexuality was not recognised in colonies). As in many colonies, laws criminalising male homosexuality were slow to change in Hong Kong, with decriminalisation taking until 1991, as opposed to 1967 in the UK. In 2019, laws regarding equality for LGBTQ+ people are almost equal. Though reception to Queer people in the UK and Hong Kong varies widely geographically, generatioally and socially. With the rise of right-wing sentiments globally, the acceptance Queer people have enjoyed feels like it is in descent.

In response to post-colonialism and the rise of right-wing opinions, we have curated this programme to show a range of artworks that explore Queer identity and culture. Filmmakers from both sides explore aspects of LGBTQI+ life – with artists from both the UK and Hong Kong making work that reflects upon Queer identity, life and creativity.

Ever since video art first appeared as a medium, artists have been using portable cameras to explore the subversive potential of video and challenge mainstream discourse about identities. In Hong Kong, the late 1980s and 1990s witnessed a growing interest among avant-garde artists, who used video to claim a queer space amongst the mundane social codes. They disrupted the male hero’s central status in mainstream cinema’s narrative. They have also recounted unspoken stories and given voice to the marginalized in a time when homosexuality and many other identities were considered taboo. These artists have sought to complicate the understanding of what it means to be taken-for-granted and have reimagined the body, society and culture as a constant flux, which has the potential to unpack norms and open society to transformation. Avant-garde and video art go hand-in-hand with the emergence of the feminist movement and the growing public visibility of the demand for LGBT rights.

In the last few decades, many societies have witnessed a radical change in promoting a diverse spectrum of non-normative sexual and gender identities. Queer communities, whose lives are organized around constant social alienation and exclusion, have evolved into a relatively more open community. On one hand, many societies are progressively creating more liberal laws, such as legalizing same-sex marriage. The thriving gay bar scene, booming rainbow industry and increasingly popular LGBT-themed movies have built a stronger community and increased inclusivity for spectrums of sexual practices and gender. On the other hand, individual freedom and promises of diversity are increasingly fashioned by neoliberal discourses. The former border-crossing practices, fluid identities and peculiar imaginations are now commercialized, marketized and normalized. Almost every financial corporation has joined hands in sponsoring pride parades. In China, the LGBT market places is valued at approximately $300 billion dollars. The way that gay and lesbian people live is increasingly mediated by the new order of cultural economy. Queerness has been redefined and contradicted by the neoliberal reality. Apart from these changes, in many parts of the world, a parallel rise in violent homophobia has been promoted by right-wing extremists. Anti-LGBT abuse and victimization remains frequent. Queerness in our time has revealed that power dynamics appear to be shifting, complex and yet contradictory. How has queerness, once considered marginal or subversive, played a role in the radically shifting figurations of global politics?

Both Sides Now V attempts to reconsider queerness by looking into historical perspectives and its relevance to the present. Through this collection of films, we aim to investigate personal experiences and problematize the various notions of “queer” from local and global perspectives.

Both Sides Now is a tactical program that uses film and video to explore culture and society between different nations, the UK, China and Hong Kong, and beyond.

Talk with Angel Leung

Angel Leung, a multidisciplinary art programmer, is currently the Programs Manager of Videotage. Prior to working at Videotage, she worked at Broadway Cinematheque in Hong Kong, organizing film festivals, including the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival and Agnès Varda Retrospective. She finished her Master degree of Screen Art at Université de Strasbourg in 2016 and received her Bachelor degree of Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong in 2009. She is also a researcher and writer on cinema. She co-edited the book David Lynch (Kubrick, 2017) while her articles are published on Stand News (HK) and The New Lens (TW).

About videoclub – UK

Videoclub is a platform for artists’ film and video. videoclub’s intention is to support artists, by showcasing artists’ film, video and moving image work to the public to increase public engagement with artists’ moving image, and to create opportunities for critical engagement with contemporary art work. videoclub’s work combines national and international touring programmes, exhibitions and commissioning.

About Videotage – HONG KONG

Videotage is a leading non-profit organization in Hong Kong focusing on the presentation, promotion, production and preservation of video and media art, serving artists in the expanding technological art and culture network. Since 1986, Videotage has developed itself from an umbrella for media artists, to a network of media art and culture for cross-disciplinary cultural productions, and platform to facilitate international exchange

The Drum Tower (2018), Fan Popo

About Videodrome 2 – Marseille

Videodrome 2 is an alternative cinematographic diffusion project which gathers together a video rental club, a bar and a 49 seats projection theater.The eclectic programming is the joint result of a common work with the multiples programming partners and the whole team. Its editorial axis articulate mainly in the form of cycles. These axis enhance and make accessible the patrimonial cinema while making space for contemporary creation within its hybrid and experimental issues. Thereby, the silver-based support or film (35mm, 16mm, 8mm) beside digital diffusion modes is promoted when possible.